Game Review: The Bug Butcher

There aren’t too many games where right out of the gate, I tell myself that “this is really fun to play”, however I found myself muttering those words more than a few times while playing this game. I really like The Bug Butcher and I’m not afraid to admit it.

The Bug Butcher is a 2D side scrolling, shoot em up game developed by Awfully Nice Studios. The game brings pest control to the next level by adding an assortment of weapons that go well beyond poison control or traps – here we use machine guns, rocket launchers, lasers and an assortment of other weapons to combat these alien bugs – it’s extreme pest control in space.

The core mechanics of the game have you continuously shooting vertically while trying not to get eaten by crowd of angry bugs that gracefully descend from the ceiling – and sometimes the floor. These are some nasty, aggressive and downright repulsive insects. The game can be played by keyboard or mouse, however for this fast-paced game you will want to break out the controller.

You play as Harry a professional pest exterminator that’s been tasked with eliminating a bug infestation that has taken over a research facility in space. To survive, Harry must move from room to room exterminating any bugs that he sees while at the same time making sure he is protecting the scientists that are working on equipment.

In order to combat these ferocious bugs, you will need some firepower – after all, these aren’t just your ordinary bugs we are dealing with here. Luckily, Harry has an arsenal of weapons to choose from besides his trusty machine gun, – with unlimited ammo, other weapons at your disposal include a laser beam, rockets, a gatling gun, and lightning shock. All of which are randomly dropped in the room you just need to pick them up. Weapons can be upgraded and customized with the coins that drop from the bugs.

Last but not least, you have power-ups that have a massive area of effect damage – these can, and should be used wisely as you will find certain bugs are much harder to deal with than others – and they help clear the out the room much faster. Like the weaponry, power-ups can also be upgraded. There are a few different types of power-ups that our hero Harry could potentially get, Speed Injection – makes Harry invincible and run for a few seconds, Freeze Grenade – freezes all enemies for a short time (my personal favorite), and Homing Missiles – instantly releases homing missiles at the enemies. You can also upgrade Harry’s suite which adds perks like, movement increase, a Bug Shield, and combo boost.

Along with its action-packed gameplay, The Bug Butcher also adds some saucy humor that meshes well with the overall style of the game. I absolutely love playing this game, add in the local co-op mode and it becomes and instant party game.